The Five-Second Rule

Your baby's hand-to-mouth transfers are quick, often, and inevitable. No need for drastic disinfecting measures, but there are some things to be on the lookout for. Read on!

Here are two baby truisms: (1) they spend lots of time on all fours or otherwise close to the ground; and (2) they use their mouths to learn and explore. Which means that most of what your baby finds on the floor will end up in his mouth — guaranteed. Unfortunately, a lot of that stuff falls into the "ewww" category: old crumbs, bugs, dog food, and other miscellaneous muck. It's not a commentary on your cleaning skills — you'd have to be sweeping and mopping 24/7 to keep your floors free of "he ate what?!" material. And anyway, a dab of dirt is much less likely to hurt him than a puddle of bleach or other cleansers. So worry first about toxic substances and later about dust bunnies. Also watch carefully for choking hazards, such as buttons, coins, or paper clips (The rule: Anything less than 1 3/8 inches in diameter — or the size of a toilet paper roll is off-limits).

Worried about the germs on your floor? Sure, they're there, but not a surplus, and none that he hasn't already encountered in his frequent playtime at your feet. Even unfamiliar floors — at a friend's house or even the supermarket — don't often harbor dangerous bugs. Which means it's probably okay to hand back the bit of cracker or rice cake that just dropped on the kitchen floor and let him finish his snack.

But because bacteria can multiply frequently on wet surfaces, the ick factor is just too high on bathroom floors or any place with puddles — or on a once-sodden biscuit that your baby has abandoned then rediscovered hours later. And outside, you have pet waste and other excretions to worry about. In these cases, you're better off confiscating any fallen foodstuffs and replacing them with fresh ones (so always have spares handy).

If (when!) you do catch your baby with an unauthorized item in his mouth, gently squeeze his cheeks with the thumb and forefinger of one of your hands, which will cause his mouth to pucker open. Sweep the object out with a hooked finger.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect the First Year. Health information on this site is based on peer-reviewed medical journals and highly respected health organizations and institutions including ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), as well as the What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.